Stage and screen star Tom Hanks is currently in talks to play heroic pilot Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger for an upcoming film directed by Oscar winner Clint Eastwood, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Todd Komarnicki has written the screenplay for the currently untitled film based on Sullenberger's autobiography "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters," which was co-written by Jeffrey Zaslow.

Sullenberger was lauded for his emergency landing in New York's Hudson River in 2009 when his airplane hit a flock of birds. Everyone on board survived the harrowing incident.

The film is expected to begin production later in the year. No release date has been announced.

Oscar winner Hanks made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy, earning a Tony nomination for his performance.